TMG Reveals Lexus LS Sports 650

Believe it or not, under all that bulging bodywork and carbon-fiber aero bits sits a Lexus LS. Not the latest generation, mind you, because this project has been years in the making, but the previous version of the Japanese luxury sedan forms its basis. But that's not all that's under there. Pop the hood and you'll find the 5.0-liter V8 from the Lexus IS-F, but with two turbochargers and an intercooler bolted on to produce a gargantuan 650 horsepower and 564 lb-ft of torque.

The LS modified by Toyota Motorsport GmbH has been the subject of many spy shots, rumors and conjecture, but has finally been revealed on its way to the Essen Motor Show in Germany. Of course the racing-tuned turbo engine isn't all that TMG has dropped into this highly-modified super-sedan. It's also got Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, 20-inch wheels with ultra-low-profile 30-series tires, a Torsen differential, a beefed-up eight-speed automatic transmission, a multi-link coilover suspension with Sachs dampers and an exhaust system with quad tips stacked like the Ferrari California's.

And of course there's the matte champagne bodywork that ditches all Lexus badging for TMG's own, and looks like it could tackle any touring car series from Germany's DTM to Japan's Super GT series. The result of all those modifications is a projected 0-62 time of 3.9 seconds and a 320 km/h (199 mph) top speed, both of which TMG aims to confirm (or exceed) with more track testing. In short, it's an absolute transformation more complete than most any mod job we've seen, turning a sedate luxo-barge into a fire-breathing, racing-tuned muscle car that would make any Mercedes AMG or BMW M car shake in its brakes.